It was a scorching run of Usain Bolt in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics, which inspired a young boy in Patial Village, Jalandhar to step on the track.
Seventeen years later, Gurindarevi Singh is not close to the 9.69-second dash from his idol. But on Friday, he became the fastest man in the country, who was in 10.20 seconds in Indian Grand Prix in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Gurindarevi broke the previous national record of 10.23 set by his compatriot Manikanta Hobalidhar at the 2023 National Open Athletics Championships.
“I have been waiting for this record for a very long time. I knew I was able to achieve the national record. When I did 10.27s in 2021, it was just a difference of 20 milliseconds. I am happy to break the record in the end,” Gurindervi told the Indian Express over the phone.
In the Indian Grand Prix 1, Gurindarevi was against two former national record holders – Manikanta and Amlan Borghehen. However, this is nothing new for him as he trains with both sprinters at the Reliance Foundation in Mumbai. The three fastest people in the country were club in the same group in IGP, in which Gurindevarir was coming to the top and Manikanta saw her personal best 10.22S, while Amlan saw 10.43s.
Return from illness
However, their path is covered with challenges. The 25 -year -old sprinter had a difficult match with ulcers in the stomach. He was unable to eat anything and lose weight due to the problem, which led to a sharp decrease in his time.
“Once I did 10.27s in 2021, I was sure that I would move forward and break the national record. But I was surprised by the issue of intestine. I was unable to take my diet properly because I would vomit everything.
2022 was the worst year of Gurindarevi; His best time was up to 10.93s, something that he would not do at the junior level. “This was a disappointing period for me. I had seen a better time at the junior level. Many people rejected my 2021 performance as a temporary and said that it was the end of my career. I told my then coach Sarabjit Sir about the issue and consulted a doctor with him. He was once used to eat.”
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After his return in 2023, he saw 10.50s as the fastest time of the year. But it was last year that he actually returned to his old self, received the Federation Cup Gold Medal with the time of 10.33s. While this performance was considered illegal during its race due to excessive wind of +2.5 meters/second, he saw 10.32S by defeating 10.32S in the National Inter-State Championship in June 2024 for the gold medal and Animesh Kuju for the gold medal.
Training with fastest sprinters
A lot has changed for Gurindarevir since starting training under James Helier at Reliance Foundation. Punjab’s athletes were used for training alone without much competition and had to rely on their understanding of nutrition.
Now, he trains in a company of some of India’s fastest sprinters. “The best part of training with Amalan and Mani is that they push me to improve in training. Amlan does more weight training with me and Mani is better endured, so looking at both, I will have to give my best. Such things were not possible for me when I was training alone,” Gurindarvi said.
Known for his explosive strength while running, Gurindervi believes that his basics were strengthened by the beginning of childhood. “I got my first spikes when I was in the 7th standard. My father (Kamaljit Singh) is a former volleyball player and trained me with all the knowledge he did. That is why my bases are solid.”
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However, it was not easy for him to adapt to the system under the new training routine and hillier, which oversees the Sprints program at the Reliance Foundation. Gurinderir said, “I had a weight surcharge after joining here. My muscles would hug the neck and I was unable to finish my training. It took me some time to adjust the new routine and the results are now coming,” Gurinderir said that he is aimed to dry India’s sprint medal at the Asian level.
“My full focus at the moment is on the Asian Track and Field Championships. We have not won a medal in a long time and I would like to break that deadlock. With my ability, I am watching a medal,” Gurindervi said.
